Newly qualified secondary school teachers’ perspectives on workplace learning

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a gap between knowledge needed at work and knowledge and skills developed through formal education. Certain aspects can only be learned within the actual workplace. This article focuses on workplace learning for newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs), a learning that is integrated in the processes and experiences gained through work. Through emails and interviews the study follows 15 NQTs during their first year of teaching in Norwegian secondary schools and explores what and how they learn, seen from their own perspectives. Through an abductive analysis of the data the study aims to develop insights that can help improve teacher education as well as the induction phase for NQTs. The teachers in the study experienced steep learning curves and lack of formal mentoring. The first year of teaching was characterised by several features that impeded the professional growth. The majority of reported learning experiences were self-initiated, rendering the acquired knowledge somewhat incidental. The NQTs could have been better prepared for the comprehensive teaching role. Furthermore, both formal and informal workplace learning could have been given more attention and been better supported within the schools.